Autumn is my very favorite time of year. A time to be thankful for all the blessings we have, as well as a time to keep up with the leaves. During this last summer, Winterpast was cheated of hours and hours of careful attention given during past summers. I hope I can make it up to her this fall while completing some much needed gardening tasks. I seem to have a bit of extra time on my hands starting today, this being the first day of unemployment after my resignation.
As I think about my return to retirement, calm and comforting thoughts surround me. Yesterday, I returned all school materials and my keys to a room that seemed so foreign at this point. I did the right thing. A wise person needs to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. Some people and their jobs are not a match. Such was the case with me and my little school.
After a last few months with littles, this week I turn my attention to Winterpast and the gardening chores awaiting me there. The leaves are just starting to change color, floating to the ground to make a carpet of golds, reds, and oranges. Remembering this time of year on the ranch in California, the big difference was the morning dew. In the desert, dew is missing while the leaves remain dry well into the winter. Many just blow away, never to be seen again. Crisp and light, raking and bagging them isn’t the mucky mess it was on the ranch.
If you are lucky enough to have a yard to tend, there are some autumn task that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Autumn is a great time to till the soil. I have a brand new rototiller to try on my flower beds. While tilling the soil, I plan to add some soil amendments. My soil needs a shot of gypsum to loosen it, increasing drainage. Hard as a rock, this desert soil isn’t the fluffy loam of the Central Valley, but desert soil that lacks organic matter. A few bags of mulch will provide a good bed for spring flowers.
Everything in my yard needs a good pruning. Fall is the time to prune back the roses and bushes, as well as unwanted limbs and branches on the trees. I can’t wait to fire up my tiny little chain saw and buzz away. Annual bushes, such as the Russian Sage need their turn with the electric hedge trimmer.
As the yard art goes back into the barn for the winter, there’ll be lots of time to reflect on the past two months while evaluating my summer of miracles. It was a summer I’ll never forget in which I finally remembered and embraced the woman I am at my core.
My Mysterious Marine has shared so many wise and profound thoughts with me. One of the best was one shared by VST, as well. You will be treated the way you expect and accept. Healthy boundaries are essential for healthy relationships. Communication and honesty are key to any strong friendship. All so true. In light of those truisms, the decisions of last week remain the correct course for me. No harm, no foul. Just an unsustainable path on which I couldn’t continue to travel.
I hope Autumn provides you time to enjoy your garden while pondering your own path. There is just something about the smell of newly tilled soil that is intoxicating. The birds will have a thing or two to share as I chase after the dancing leaves of Winterpast.
Whatever you do, enjoy today. There is so much beauty around us that can be missed in such a busy world. Enjoy it.
More tomorrow.
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